Handheld three-dimensional ultrasound imaging method

ABSTRACT

Disclosed in the application is a handheld three-dimensional ultrasound imaging method, comprising using a handheld ultrasound probe to scan a part to be tested; obtaining a three-dimensional position and angle information corresponding to ultrasound images according to a positioning reference device adapted to be arranged on the part to be tested; obtaining a moving distance and a rotation angle of the handheld ultrasound probe according to a material interference of the localization pattern with the ultrasonic signal; extracting information of the localization pattern from the ultrasound image as positioning information; restoring the ultrasound image to a state without interference from the localization pattern; performing 3D image reconstruction and display of the ultrasound image. The large spatial positioning system in an existing three-dimensional ultrasound imaging system is changed into a portable spatial positioning system that can be used at any time, so that handheld three-dimensional ultrasound imaging can be widely applied.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a Divisional Application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/629,955 filed on Jan. 9, 2020, which is aNational-phase Application of PCT Application No. PCT/CN2018/094306filed on Jul. 3, 2018, which claims the benefit of Chinese PatentApplication No. 201710560949.0 filed on Jul. 11, 2017. All the above arehereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application relates to the field of medical devices, inparticular to a handheld three-dimensional ultrasound imaging method.

BACKGROUND

Three dimensional ultrasound imaging has been widely used in the fieldof medicine. There are usually three ways: electronic scanning,mechanical scanning and manual scanning. Mechanical scanning is to usethe motor to drive the ultrasonic probe for scanning, with the advantageof good repeatability, but only suitable for small-scale scanning, suchas fetus observation. Electronic scanning can give real-timethree-dimensional images, such as the heart, but it is only suitable forscanning in a smaller range, and it needs to use two-dimensionaltransducer display, making the cost quite expensive. Manual scanningrefers to holding the ultrasonic probe by an operator to scan theinterested area of human body or animal, recording the three-dimensionalspatial position and angle of each ultrasonic image by a spatialpositioning system, and then carrying out three-dimensional imagereconstruction. Its advantage is that it can do a large range ofscanning, but it requires manual scanning.

In recent years, the miniaturization of ultrasound imaging system hasdeveloped rapidly. At present, there are many different types ofhandheld ultrasound systems. By using the handheld ultrasound system,the portability can be greatly improved so that ultrasound imaging canbe applied in more fields. However, at present, there is still nohandheld three-dimensional ultrasound imaging system in the market,because there are some difficulties in its implementation, especiallythe palmtop 3D ultrasound imaging system for manual scanning of a largerange of human body. Because the traditional ultrasound imaging systemrequires a large spatial positioning system, which is not suitable forthe practical palmtop application. For example, the most commonly usedelectromagnetic positioning device needs an external transmitter and aspatial positioning sensor placed on the ultrasound probe. It is verydifficult to make such a system completely into the palmtop portablesystem.

Therefore, how to improve the huge spatial positioning system and makethe portable handheld three-dimensional ultrasound imaging system widelyused has become an urgent technical problem in the industry.

SUMMARY

The purpose of the present application is to provide a handheldthree-dimensional ultrasound imaging method aiming at the existingtechnical problems, so that the handheld three-dimensional ultrasoundimaging can be widely used.

The technical scheme of the present application for solving the abovetechnical problems is as follows, providing a handheld three-dimensionalultrasound imaging system, comprising a handheld ultrasound probe, usedfor scanning and obtaining an ultrasound image; a display, control andprocessing terminal, connected to the handheld ultrasound probe wiredlyor wirelessly; the handheld ultrasound imaging system of the presentapplication further comprises: a handheld three-dimensional spatialpositioning system, connected to the handheld ultrasound probe, movingwith the movement of the handheld ultrasound probe, connected to thedisplay, control and processing terminal wiredly or wirelessly, and usedfor independently positioning a three-dimensional position and angleinformation of the handheld ultrasound probe.

Preferably, the handheld ultrasound imaging system further comprises apositioning reference device, located outside the handheld ultrasoundprobe, used for providing positioning reference for the handheldthree-dimensional spatial positioning system.

Preferably, the handheld three-dimensional spatial positioning system ispositioned inside the handheld ultrasound probe.

Preferably, the handheld three-dimensional spatial positioning system isan accelerometer or a gyroscope mounted on the handheld ultrasoundprobe, used for obtaining acceleration or an angular acceleration of thehandheld ultrasound probe, and then obtaining a moving distance and arotation angle of the handheld ultrasound probe.

Preferably, the positioning reference device is a localization imagearranged on a part to be tested, and the handheld three-dimensionalspatial positioning system comprises a camera used for detecting aposition of the localization image and providing positioning reference,and an accelerometer or an gyroscope used for obtaining an accelerationor an angular acceleration of the handheld ultrasound probe and thenobtaining a moving distance and a rotation angle of the handheldultrasound probe.

Preferably, further comprises a cloud database, connected to thedisplay, control and processing terminal communicatively, used forprocessing the ultrasound image and the three-dimensional position andangle information obtained from the display, control and processingterminal through the wireless or wired data transmission device, andreturning data processing results to the display, control and processingterminal.

The present application further provides a handheld three-dimensionalultrasound imaging method, wherein, comprising the following steps:

S1. using a handheld ultrasound probe to scan a part to be tested toobtain a series of ultrasound images;

S2. obtaining a three-dimensional position and angle informationcorresponding to each frame of ultrasound images through a handheldthree-dimensional spatial positioning system;

S3. performing 3D image reconstruction to the ultrasound image and thethree-dimensional position and angle information and displaying.

Preferably, the step S3 is:

S3. transmitting the ultrasound image and the three-dimensional positionand angle information to a cloud database through a wireless or wireddata transmission device for image reconstruction, analysis, calculationand comparison, and the cloud database transmitting results of imagereconstruction, analysis, calculation and comparison back to thedisplay, control and processing terminal for display.

Preferably, the step S3 is:

S3. performing 3D image reconstruction to the ultrasound image and thethree-dimensional position and angle information and displaying throughthe display, control and processing terminal.

Preferably, the handheld three-dimensional spatial positioning system isan accelerometer or a gyroscope mounted on the handheld ultrasoundprobe, used for obtaining an acceleration or an angular acceleration ofthe handheld ultrasound probe, and then obtaining a moving distance anda rotation angle of the handheld ultrasound probe.

Preferably, the step S2 of the imaging method comprises the followingsteps:

S2.1 using the three-dimensional spatial positioning system to scan apositioning reference device for providing positioning reference for thehandheld three-dimensional spatial positioning system.

Preferably, the positioning reference device is arranged on a part to betested, the step S3 of the imaging method further comprises thefollowing steps:

S3.1 the display, control and processing terminal extracting informationof the positioning reference device from the ultrasound image aspositioning information;

S3.2 the display, control and processing terminal restoring theultrasound image to a state without interference from the positioningreference device, and then performing 3D image reconstruction to theultrasound image and displaying.

Preferably, positioning reference device is arranged on a part to betested, the step S1 of the imaging method further comprises thefollowing steps:

S1.1 when the positioning reference device is arranged on the part to betested, using the handheld ultrasound probe to scan the part to betested to obtain a first ultrasound image;

S1.2 removing the positioning reference device, and using the handheldultrasound probe to scan the part to be tested again to obtain a secondultrasound image;

the step S3 of the imaging method further comprises the following steps:

S3.6 the display, control and processing terminal using the firstultrasound image as a reference to determine the position of thepositioning reference device relative to the second ultrasound image,thus performing 3D image reconstruction to the ultrasound image and thethree-dimensional position and angle information and displaying.

By means of the handheld three-dimensional ultrasound imaging system andmethod of the present application, the large spatial positioning systemin an existing three-dimensional ultrasound imaging system is changedinto a portable spatial positioning system that can be used at any time,so that handheld three-dimensional ultrasound imaging can be widelyapplied.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The application will be further described in combination with theaccompanying drawings and embodiments, in which:

FIG. 1 is the structure diagram of the handheld three-dimensionalultrasound imaging system of the present application;

FIG. 2 is the structure diagram of the handheld three-dimensionalultrasound imaging system in a preferred embodiment of the presentapplication;

FIG. 3 is the structure diagram of the handheld three-dimensionalultrasound imaging system in another preferred embodiment of the presentapplication;

FIG. 4 is the structure diagram of the handheld three-dimensionalultrasound imaging system in a third embodiment of the presentapplication;

FIG. 5 a is the scanning diagram of the handheld three-dimensionalultrasound imaging system in a fourth embodiment of the presentapplication;

FIG. 5 b is a schematic diagram of two consecutive ultrasound images inthe fourth embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is the structure diagram of the positioning reference device andthe handheld ultrasound probe in a sixth embodiment of the presentapplication;

FIG. 7 is the structure diagram of the positioning reference device in aseventh embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 a is a positioning information diagram obtained by scanningpositioning reference device in the seventh embodiment of the presentapplication;

FIG. 8 b is another positioning information diagram obtained by scanningpositioning reference device in the seventh embodiment of the presentapplication;

FIG. 9 is the structure diagram of the handheld ultrasound probe ofanother embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 10 is the diagram of the handheld three-dimensional ultrasoundimaging of the present application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In order to enable those skilled in the art to understand theapplication more clearly, the application will be described in furtherdetail below in combination with the drawings and specific embodiments.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the present application discloses a handheldthree-dimensional ultrasound imaging system, comprising a handheldultrasound probe 100; a display, control and processing terminal 300,connected to the handheld ultrasound probe 100 wiredly or wirelessly; ahandheld three-dimensional spatial positioning system 200, connected tothe handheld ultrasound probe 100, moving with the movement of thehandheld ultrasound probe 100, connected to the display, control andprocessing terminal 300 wiredly or wirelessly. In FIG. 1 , the handheldthree-dimensional spatial positioning system 200 is mounted on thehandheld ultrasound probe 100. In other embodiments, as long as it isconnected with the handheld ultrasound probe 100, it can move with themovement of the handheld ultrasound probe 100, without necessarily beinginstalled on the handheld ultrasound probe 100, and the specific settingmode is not limited here. The display, control and processing terminal300 of the application can be a palmtop terminal or a desktop terminal,such as a laptop, etc., which can be connected with the handheldultrasound probe 100 by wireless or wired means. The display, controland processing terminal 300 stores three-dimensional imaging, imageprocessing and three-dimensional display algorithms, which directlyanalyzes and processes the image and data information returned by thehandheld ultrasound probe 100, and displays three-dimensional images.

As shown in FIG. 2 , since the handheld three-dimensional ultrasoundimaging system is required to be small in size and portable, in order toreduce the dimension of the handheld three-dimensional ultrasoundimaging system, the handheld three-dimensional ultrasound imaging systemof the present application further includes a cloud database 400 and asimilar processing system. Thus, the display, control and processingterminal 300 transmits the three-dimensional position information, angleand reconstruction result to the cloud database 400 for storage. In thecloud database 400, the reconstruction results can be classified andstored, for example, the time can be classified and stored by the nameof the customer, so as to facilitate the user to compare the changes ofthe part to be tested 600 in different time periods, or theclassification and storage can be carried out by the name of differentdiseases, so that the user can refer to the changes of the part to betested 600 to be detected by other users.

Further, in order to make the handheld three-dimensional ultrasoundimaging system more miniaturized and improve its portability, onlysimple 3D imaging, image processing and 3D display algorithms are storedin the display, control and processing terminal 300, and the image anddata information are simply analyzed and processed. The display, controland processing terminal 300 is connected to the cloud database 400 andsimilar processing systems through the network, Bluetooth and otherways. In the cloud database 400, more advanced and more complex 3Dimaging, image processing and 3D display algorithms can be stored. Thedisplay, control and processing terminal 300 uploads the simpleprocessed information to the cloud database 400 for analysis andprocessing. The cloud database 400 transmits the results after analysisand processing back to the display, control and processing terminal 300of the handheld ultrasonic instrument for display or further processing.Even, the display, control and processing terminal 300 may not storethree-dimensional imaging, image processing and three-dimensionaldisplay algorithm, just upload the image and data information returnedby the handheld ultrasound probe 100 directly to the cloud database 400,and process, analyze and process through the three-dimensional imaging,image processing and three-dimensional display algorithm in the clouddatabase 400. After that, the information is transmitted back to thedisplay, control and processing terminal 300 for display. Similarly, inthe cloud database 400, the reconstruction results can still beclassified and stored, so that customers can retrieve the data of thereconstruction results from the cloud database 400 for query. The clouddatabase 400 can be a remote storage and computing device.

The handheld three-dimensional spatial positioning system 200 in theapplication is a device convenient for moving and installing, which isconnected with the handheld ultrasound probe 100, and can move with themovement of the handheld ultrasound probe 100. The handheldthree-dimensional ultrasound imaging system can directly obtain the 3Dspatial position of the handheld ultrasound probe 100 through thehandheld three-dimensional spatial positioning system 200, without anyother positioning system. Preferably, the handheld three-dimensionalspatial positioning system 200 is arranged inside the handheldultrasound probe 100, so that when the handheld three-dimensionalultrasound imaging system of the present application is applied, therewill not be a non portable positioning system to affect the portabilityof the handheld three-dimensional ultrasound imaging system. There aresix embodiments of how the handheld three-dimensional spatialpositioning system 200 obtains the 3D position information and angleinformation of the handheld ultrasound probe 100.

As shown in FIG. 3 , in order to improve the accuracy of positioning,the handheld three-dimensional ultrasound imaging system can furtherinclude a positioning reference device 500, which is located outside thehandheld ultrasound probe 100 and is used to provide positioningreference for the handheld three-dimensional spatial positioning system200.

The First Embodiment

The handheld three-dimensional spatial positioning system 200 includesmicro inertial sensors such as accelerometers and angular velocitymeters installed on the handheld ultrasound probe 100, which are used toobtain the acceleration and angular acceleration values of the handheldultrasound probe 100, so as to calculate the moving distance androtation angle of the handheld ultrasound probe 100, and thenindependently obtain the 3D spatial position of the handheld ultrasoundprobe 100.

The Second Embodiment

The handheld three-dimensional spatial positioning system 200 includesone or more cameras installed on the handheld ultrasound probe 100 andmicro inertial sensors such as accelerometers, angular velocity metersinstalled in the handheld ultrasound probe 100. The positioningreference device 500 is an external environment. The camera is used toobtain the image of the surrounding environment, such as the grid on theceiling, etc. according to the obtained image changes, the position andangle of the handheld ultrasound probe 100 can be calculated, andspecial graphics can also be simply added in the environment tofacilitate detection. Accelerometers and angular velocity meters areused to obtain the acceleration and angular acceleration values of thehandheld ultrasound probe 100, so as to calculate the moving distanceand angle of the handheld ultrasound probe 100. The combination ofaccelerometer, angular velocity meter and camera makes the positioningmore accurate. Before using the handheld three-dimensional spatialpositioning system 200, it is necessary to let the handheld ultrasoundprobe 100 move a known distance or rotate a known angle to determine theparameters needed in the positioning algorithm.

The Third Embodiment

As shown in FIG. 4 , the handheld three-dimensional spatial positioningsystem 200 is a micro inertial sensor, such as accelerometer andgyroscope, which are installed on the handheld ultrasound probe 100. Thehandheld three-dimensional ultrasound system further includes apositioning reference device 500, which is a small reference systeminstalled on or near the scanning object, i.e. installed outside thehandheld ultrasound probe 100, and is used to provide positioningreference for the handheld three-dimensional spatial positioning system200. The miniaturized reference system is a miniaturized electromagnetictransmitter installed on the scanning object. In addition to theelectromagnetic transmitter, the sound or light transmitting andreceiving system can also be used, that is, the miniaturization of thetraditional light, sound and electromagnetic handheld three-dimensionalspatial positioning system. Accelerometers and gyroscope are used toobtain the acceleration and angular acceleration values of the handheldultrasound probe 100, so as to calculate the moving distance and angleof the handheld ultrasound probe 100. The combination of accelerometer,angular velocity meter and small reference system makes the positioningmore accurate.

In addition, the small reference system can also be one or more microcameras placed on the scanning body, recording the rotation angle of themicro camera to track the movement and angle of the probe.

The Fourth Embodiment

The handheld three-dimensional spatial positioning system 200 in thefourth embodiment is a micro inertial sensor such as an accelerometer, agyroscope, etc. The handheld three-dimensional ultrasound system furtherincludes a positioning reference device 500, which is the ultrasoundimage itself.

As shown in FIG. 5 a , when the handheld ultrasound probe 100 moves, theleft and right ultrasound images in FIG. 5 b are obtained successively.The two ultrasound images have continuity and some overlapped parts,that is, the content of the ultrasound images obtained sequentially hasgreat similarity. When the image sampling speed is very high, but themoving speed is not very fast, the difference distance d between the twoimages can be obtained by the way of image matching, and the movingdistance can be obtained by the difference between the successivelyobtained ultrasound images. In the same way, the rotation angle of thehandheld ultrasound probe 100 in this plane can also be obtained.However, when the ultrasound image itself is used alone, the limitationis that the handheld ultrasound probe 100 can only move or rotate in onedirection. When the handheld ultrasound probe 100 moves or rotates inthe reverse direction, it is easy to cause the calculation error of thecollected three-dimensional position information or angle information.

Therefore, in this embodiment, micro inertial sensors such asaccelerometers and angular velocity meter are used in combination withultrasound images, and micro inertial sensors such as accelerometers andangular velocity meter are used to obtain the acceleration and angularacceleration values of the handheld ultrasound probe 100, so as tocalculate the moving distance and angle of handheld ultrasound probe100, which can supplement the data obtained from the images, making thepositioning method more accurate.

The Fifth Embodiment

The difference between the fifth embodiment and the fourth embodiment isthat the handheld ultrasound probe of the fifth embodiment uses acompound probe, that is, a sub probe in different directions isinstalled in one handheld ultrasound probe 100, which is used to measurethe moving distance and rotation angle of the handheld ultrasound probe100 in both directions at the same time. The handheld three-dimensionalspatial positioning system 200 is still a micro inertial sensor such asaccelerometer and gyroscope. It is used to obtain the acceleration andangular acceleration values of the handheld ultrasound probe 100, andcalculate the moving distance and angle of the handheld ultrasound probe100. Thus, the handheld three-dimensional spatial positioning system 200can detect the amount of movement and rotation in the third directionbesides the direction provided by the compound probe, and then calculatethe 3D position information and angle of the handheld ultrasound probe100 more accurately.

The Sixth Embodiment

As shown in FIG. 6 , the handheld three-dimensional ultrasound imagingsystem further includes a positioning reference device 500, in thisembodiment, the positioning reference device 500 is a localization image501 set on the surface of the scanning object. The handheldthree-dimensional spatial positioning system 200 includes a camera 201mounted on the handheld ultrasound probe 100. When the handheldultrasound probe 100 moves, the camera 201 tracks the moving distanceand rotation angle of the handheld ultrasound probe 100 according to thechange of the localization image 501. Preferably, the handheldthree-dimensional spatial positioning system 200 also includes microinertial sensors such as accelerometers and gyroscope installed on thehandheld ultrasound probe 100 for further providing information aboutthe moving distance and rotation angle of the handheld ultrasound probe100. The localization image 501 may be a specially designed imagetemporarily pasted on the surface of the scanning object, and they arepasted beside the part to be tested 600 of the object to be scanned, soas to avoid the interference of the localization image 501 on theultrasonic signal. In this embodiment, the localization image 501 is alattice attached to the part to be tested 600, and the distance betweenthe points in the lattice is a pre-designed value, which is known.Preferably, the lattice can also be designed as points with large andsmall intervals, which can be used to provide a clearer positioningreference.

In this embodiment, the camera 201 is used to record the localizationimage 501 for positioning. In other embodiments of the application,other similar methods can be applied, for example, the localizationimage 501 with the characteristics of sound, light, electrical,magnetic, etc. is designed and pasted on the scanning object, and adetector is installed on the handheld ultrasound probe 100 to record thelocalization image 501 located outside the part to be tested 600 forpositioning.

The Seventh Embodiment

The difference between the seventh embodiment and the sixth embodimentis that the localization image 501 of the sixth embodiment istemporarily attached to the part to be tested 600 of the object to bescanned, that is, the ultrasound will not scan the localization image501 to avoid interference of the localization image 501 with theultrasonic signal. However, in the sixth embodiment, the interference ofthe localization image 501 with the ultrasonic signal is used forpositioning.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the localization image 501 is a lattice, of course,in other embodiments of the application, the localization image 501 canalso be of other shapes, such as lattice, wave shape, etc., as long asit can provide positioning reference. The localization image 501 in theembodiment is pasted on the part to be tested 600, and the distancebetween the points in the lattice is a pre-designed value, which isknown. Preferably, the setting mode can be a mode with one big point forevery five small points to provide positioning information more clearly.Further, according to the material of the localization image 501, eachpoint on the lattice has different degrees of influence on theultrasonic signal. As shown in FIG. 8 a , the reflection signal can be apoint, as shown in FIG. 8 b , and the reflection signal can also be apoint with a shadow area, which is used to distinguish the position ofeach row or column of points, so as to make the positioning moreaccurate. Preferably, the localization image 501 is integrated with theultrasonic coupling paste, which makes the use and attachment on bodysurface easier and the operation process more concise.

Therefore, in this embodiment, there are two positioning methods. Thefirst method is to extract the information of the localization image 501from the obtained ultrasound image as positioning information, thenrecover the ultrasound image to a state without interference of thelocalization image 501 after image processing, and then reconstruct thethree-dimensional image of the ultrasound image.

Another positioning method is to scan the part to be tested 600 oncewhen the localization image 501 is attached on the part to be tested 600to obtain the first ultrasound image, the scope of the first ultrasoundimage may include the localization image 501 and the scope beyond thelocalization image 501; then take away the localization image 501, andthen scan again to obtain the second ultrasound image; the display,control and process terminal determines the position of the localizationimage 501 relative to the second ultrasound image according to theobtained first ultrasound image as a reference, so as to obtain athree-dimensional image which is completely free from the influence ofthe localization image 501 and has positioning information of thelocalization image 501.

As shown in FIG. 9 , the above localization image 501 is used in theembodiment to interfere with ultrasonic wave for positioning. In otherembodiments of the application, other similar methods can be applied,such as designing localization image 501 with optical, electrical,magnetic and other characteristics, attaching it to the scanning object,and installing optical, electrical, magnetic and other detectors on thehandheld ultrasound probe 100 as the palm of the system The localizationimage 501 is detected by the handheld three-dimensional spatialpositioning system 200, and the installation mode of the handheldthree-dimensional spatial positioning system 200 is shown in the figure.

It can be understood that in the first to seventh embodiments, all thehandheld three-dimensional spatial positioning system 200 installed onthe handheld ultrasound probe 100, i.e. camera, sound, light,electrical, magnetic detector, etc., may not be installed on thehandheld ultrasound probe 100, as long as they can move with themovement of the handheld ultrasound probe 100, there is no limit here.

As shown in FIG. 10 , the present application further discloses ahandheld three-dimensional ultrasound imaging method, comprising thefollowing steps:

S1. using a handheld ultrasound probe 100 to scan a part to be tested600 to obtain a series of ultrasound images;

S2. obtaining a three-dimensional position and angle informationcorresponding to each frame of ultrasound images through a handheldthree-dimensional spatial positioning system 200;

S3. performing 3D image reconstruction to the ultrasound image and thethree-dimensional position and angle information and displaying.

In the handheld three-dimensional ultrasound imaging method, the step S2comprises the following steps:

S2.1 arranging a positioning reference device 500 on the scanningobjects for providing positioning reference for the handheldthree-dimensional spatial positioning system 200.

The positioning reference device 500 is an electrical, magnetic,acoustic, optical and other transmitters installed on the scanningobject, and the transmitted electrical, magnetic, acoustic, optical andother signals can be received by the corresponding receiver installed onthe handheld ultrasound probe 100 for positioning reference; or placethe localization image 501 with electrical, magnetic, acoustic andoptical characteristics on the surface of the scanning object, so thatit can be detected by the ultrasonic transducer on the handheldultrasound probe 100, or the electrical, magnetic, acoustic and opticaldetectors, and then used for positioning. For specific embodiments,please refer to the first to sixth embodiments, which will not bedescribed here.

In the handheld three-dimensional ultrasound imaging method, the step S3comprises the following steps:

S3.1 performing 3D image reconstruction to the ultrasound image and thethree-dimensional position and angle information and displaying throughthe display, control and processing terminal 300.

In order to realize the miniaturization of the handheldthree-dimensional ultrasound imaging system, when the handheldthree-dimensional ultrasound imaging system further includes the clouddatabase 400 for storing data, step S3 further includes:

S3.2 The display, control and processing terminal 300 transmits thereconstruction result to the cloud database 400 for storage.

In the cloud database 400, the reconstruction results can be classifiedand stored, for example, the time can be classified and stored by thename of the customer, so as to facilitate the user to compare thechanges of the part to be tested 600 in different time periods, or theclassification and storage can be carried out by the name of differentdiseases, so that the user can refer to the changes of the part to betested 600 by other users.

In order to realize further miniaturization and portability of thehandheld three-dimensional ultrasound imaging system, the handheldthree-dimensional ultrasound imaging system further includes a clouddatabase 400 for data processing, and the steps S3 of the imaging methodinclude:

S3.3 the display, control and processing terminal 300 transmits theultrasound image and the three-dimensional spatial information and angleto the cloud database 400;

S3.4 the cloud database 400 performs 3D image reconstruction of theultrasound image and the 3D spatial information and angle, and transmitsthe reconstruction result back to the display, control and processingterminal 300;

S3.5 the display, control and processing terminal 300 displays thereconstruction result.

Similarly, in the cloud database 400, the reconstruction results can beclassified and stored, so that customers can retrieve the data of thereconstruction results from the cloud database 400 for query.

The handheld three-dimensional spatial positioning system 300 in themethod can be any of the handheld three-dimensional spatial positioningsystem in the first to seventh embodiments, and the positioningreference device 500 of the application can be any of the positioningreference devices in second to seventh embodiments; when the positioningreference device 500 is the material shown in the seventh embodiment,which is a material that can interfere with ultrasound imaging, and isdisposed on the part to be tested 600, the step S3 of the imaging methodfurther includes the following steps:

S3.1 the display, control and processing terminal 300 extractinginformation of the positioning reference device 500 from the ultrasoundimage as positioning information;

S3.2 the display, control and processing terminal 300 restoring theultrasound image to a state without interference from the positioningreference device 500, and then performing 3D image reconstruction to theultrasound image and displaying.

In the seventh embodiment, there is another positioning method. Step S1of the imaging method further includes the following steps:

S1.1 when the positioning reference device 500 is arranged on the partto be tested 600, using the handheld ultrasound probe 100 to scan thepart to be tested 600 to obtain a first ultrasound image;

S1.2 removing the positioning reference device 500, and using thehandheld ultrasound probe 100 to scan the part to be tested 600 again toobtain a second ultrasound image;

Meanwhile, step S3 of the imaging method further includes the followingsteps:

S3.6 the display, control and processing terminal 300 using the firstultrasound image as a reference to determine the position of thepositioning reference device 500 relative to the second ultrasoundimage, thus performing 3D image reconstruction to the ultrasound imageand the three-dimensional position and angle information and displaying.

To sum up, a handheld three-dimensional ultrasound imaging system andmethod disclosed by the application do not use the traditionallarge-size and bulky spatial positioning system to locate the handheldultrasound probe, instead use the portable handheld three-dimensionalspatial positioning system and positioning reference device, or even thehandheld three-dimensional spatial positioning system alone. It isconvenient for users to carry and use the handheld three-dimensionalultrasound imaging system disclosed by the application at any time, anda miniaturized and portable handheld three-dimensional ultrasoundimaging system is achieved.

It should be understood that for those of ordinary skill in the art,improvements or transformations can be made according to the abovedescription, and all of these improvements and transformations belong tothe scope of protection of the appended claims of the application.

What claimed is:
 1. A handheld three-dimensional ultrasound imagingmethod, wherein, comprising following steps: S1. using a handheldultrasound probe to scan a part to be tested to obtain a series ofultrasound images; S2. obtaining a three-dimensional position and angleinformation corresponding to each frame of ultrasound images accordingto a positioning reference device adapted to be arranged on the part tobe tested wherein the positioning reference device comprises alocalization pattern; S3. obtaining a moving distance and a rotationangle of the handheld ultrasound probe according to a materialinterference of the localization pattern with the ultrasonic signal by ahandheld three-dimensional spatial positioning system; S4. extractinginformation of the localization pattern from the ultrasound image aspositioning information through a display, control and processingterminal; S5. restoring the ultrasound image to a state withoutinterference from the localization pattern by the display, control andprocessing terminal S6. performing 3D image reconstruction and displayof the ultrasound image by the display, control and processing terminal.2. The handheld three-dimensional ultrasound imaging method according toclaim 1, wherein, step S6 comprises: transmitting the ultrasound imageand the three-dimensional position and angle information to a clouddatabase through a wireless or wired data transmission device for dataprocessing; returning data processing results to the display, controland processing terminal.